Supplies

Here's a non-definitive list of some of the companies that I buy sewing supplies from. 


Online

William Gee (really excellent range, very competitive prices)
Cloth and Notions (nice array of basic supplies)
Vena Cava Design (excellent range of supplies and components, especially for corsetry & historical dressmaking, with competitive prices)
Cloth House (expensive but so good)

London

Shepherd's Bush
Skip Soho and its beautiful rag shops and take the tube all the way out to Goldhawk Road in Shepherd's Bush. It is a long journey - unless you live in West London or its suburbs - but the sheer amount of fabric shops housed there is incredible. The shops stock a massive range of all kinds of fabrics (printed cottons, theatrical spangly bits, all kinds of tailoring cloth, silks in vast forms - and many many more) and are often cavernous, extending a long way back, up crooked stairs, or into a deep basement. Staff are knowledgeable across the shops, and able to locate a single bolt of obscure cloth across a whole shop floor in seconds. What is more, the prices are far less than you would pay elsewhere.

My favourite shops:
Classic Textiles, 44 Goldhawk Road, W12 8DH (wonderful selection of everything, especially designer fabrics and Liberty prints)
A One Fabrics, 50-52 Goldhawk Road,W12 8DH (two shops in one, good for a rummage, often stock lovely wools and printed cottons)
Goldhawk Silks & Trimmings, 74 Goldhawk Road, W12 8HA (a bit up the road, this haberdashery has an excellent selection)
Orya Textiles, 188 Shepherd's Bush market / 32 Goldhawk Road (upholstery materials in the market shop, amazing lambskin leathers in the Goldhawk Road shop)

Brixton
Simply Fabrics
, 2 shops on Atlantic Road

Walthamstow
Walthamstow Market and its surrounds has loads of bargainous fabric shops for North London locals.

Central London
Liberty's 4th floor Fabric & Haberdashery department is always beautiful. Berwick Street and Broadwick Street in Soho have beautiful fabric shops but their prices are through the roof. Use them for inspiration, or if you suddenly need to make a ball gown for a countess…
Cloth House is my favourite shop on Berwick Street as it stocks a beautiful array of textiles from around the world, vintage and new. My other favourite shop is Borovicks for showy theatrical fabrics and their famous customer service (wink, wink!)

Milllinery & Haberdashery

Barnett Lawson, 16-17 Little Portland Street, London, W1W 8NE (amazing trimmings, motifs, elastics and bindings. Sells smaller amounts as well as wholesale, prices excl. VAT. It's a basement shop off Upper Regent Street, ring the bell to enter.)
John Lewis, Oxford Street (OK for threads and basic buttons; Barnett Lawson is 2 mins away and better for elastics, trimmings and anything else)
Atelier Millinery, 9 Smiths Court, off Brewer Street, London, W1D 7DP (millinery supplies both vintage and new)
On Berwick Street, Borovick's sell haberdashery and Cloth House sell vintage and special trims. 
Milliner Warehouse,  35 Ebury Bridge Road, Victoria, London SW1W 8QX (millinery & haberdashery supplies including cones & capelines, threads, stiffeners, fascinator bases)
William Gee, 520-522 Kingsland Road, Dalston, E8 4AR (excellent for threads, pattern drafting supplies, needles etc)


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